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"This last month has got to have been the 'silly' season as far as Ministerial statements about Fraser Island is concerned," the President of Friends of Fraser Island said yesterday. Mr Powell said that by and reasonable standard the claim by the Minister that the management of dingoes on Fraser Island is world 'best practice' is laughable if it wasn't so sad. He questioned where else in the democratic world would an authority get away with starving a wild animal and then claim world ‘best practice’. In all other places that value the wild life all efforts are made to replicate the natural life for the animals, not artificially starve them out. “We all know that on the mainland, the dingo is a hated animal but the government’s policy on dingoes on Fraser Island is in stark contrast to their policy on dingoes and wild dogs in other National Parks in Queensland where the animals are allowed to roam free and able to use the National Park as a refuge whilst raiding adjacent grazing properties. If the Government was as diligent about dingoes in grazing areas as they are on Fraser Island livestock owners would be delighted. The Government seems to forget that the dingo was the camp follower of the nomadic aboriginal tribal groups and fed from the camp on scraps and such other wild life they could capture,” Mr Powell said.
He
said that by artificially making visitors to Fraser Island petrified of dingoes
the government was making a huge rod for its own back. The simple answer to the problem
artificially created by Mr Wells’ Government is to allow the age old practice
of letting dingoes scavenge from camps and letting them pick up fish offal
remaining from the cleaning of fish on the beach.
“Mr Wells’ Government refuses to listen to long term residents and visitors to the Island. These people have had experience with dingoes for many years and without exception attest to the fact that the management practices of the Forestry Officers was far superior to the current management practices imposed on Fraser Island.” Mr Powell said. Mr Powell said that evidently as part of the Government’s flawed policy on dingoes all beach camping from Dilli Village to Poyungun Rocks has been banned. “This is absolute nonsense,” Mr Powell said.
“It is an unfortunate fact that the only fatality that has occurred on Fraser Island from a dingo attack occurred adjacent a National Park campground. The vast majority of reported menacing by dingoes has occurred adjacent or near the official NP campgrounds. It is totally illogical to ban camping along the beach and use dingoes as the reason. It is far more likely that the ban is as a result of pressure from organised tour operators or the over zealous one-eyed preservationists who have a wish to see that free range camping is banned in place of even further controls.” Mr Powell said. He said that he had recently visited the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and was appalled at the amount of control that existed there now. “No longer is it a pleasure to wander through the area and camp and fish at will. Like Fraser Island, the strong arm of officialdom swoops down on anyone wanting a free camp site or for that matter to enjoy oneself alone on the beach. Organised tours operate seemingly at will and the experience of the Cape Tribulation area is ruined for the adventurous visitor. I wonder how long it will be before the forces of we know better finally take over Fraser Island and the ordinary family will be finally forced into tour buses or priced off the Island.” Mr Powell said. He said that he hoped that the ordinary quiet families who historically have camped on Fraser Island will take the time and write to their Member of Parliament protesting at the over regulation of a Fraser Island visit.
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